Anthem of the Angels
by K.I.T.T. RIDER
Summary: Death is supposed to be a permanent thing, right? Well, for some, it isn't. When Droite dies in a crash, she's given the opportunity to live again. But at what cost? How much is she willing to put on the line, just to be with her loved ones again?
1. Prologue

**_A/N: I'm sick, so let's hope this goes a little better today than I think it is. T_T_**

**_Also, I'm trying a new writing style, so I apologize if each part is a bit short. I'm not used to it, so I apologize in advance._**

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_Droite_

I despised summer. I really did. The only purpose it served was to make my skin prickly and ache from the sun, draining my body of the fluids it so desperately needed. It was irritating, very much so, hence why I had decided to take the car to get to the picnic Yuma was having today. Gauche had already left earlier that morning to help out with his younger friend (how he managed to keep up with the hyperactive teen, I would never know), so I was left to get there at a somewhat late time. Growling to myself, I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the turn signal.

It was a little bit before the cars started to move, and I turned onto another street, going deeper into Heartland City. Traffic was lighter than I thought it would be, but it was still maddening when the chance idiot driver decided to not obey the laws of the road. I didn't want to run_ too _late; suspicion might arise and I'd end up having to take a call from each of my friends.

Sighing, I wondered why Yuma was having a picnic in the first place. Sure, it had been six months since the end of the war, but all of us had kept in contact with each other, somewhat. I'd been talking to Kaito a little more often since Gauche insisted on visiting Haruto all the time, but other than that, I hadn't thought to contact any of the others. I didn't have the time, quite frankly; between my job as Gauche's manager and trying to repair my bond with Kaito, there was little time to have to myself.

I checked the time, which was on my dash. Already it was four-thirty. Jeez. I didn't have long until the picnic officially started, and I was still a good three or four kilometers from the park still. The radio was turned to the news, so I blankly listened to a report of a reckless driver in the area, who was possibly drunk, and the authorities were advising people to be on the lookout. I sighed again; idiots.

Turning another corner, I kept my eyes on the road, humming a song to myself. Crossing an intersection, I dimly heard the roar of an engine before metal slammed into metal. Before I realized what had happened, I had blacked out.

…

…

_Kaito_

The sun beat down on the back of my neck. Shifting uncomfortably, I gazed at the watch on my left wrist. Almost four-forty-five; and still, Yuma insisted on waiting until Droite got here before the celebrations began. She was probably fine; she was a woman, and women typically took forever to get themselves ready. So I just assumed that she was running late because of that.

"Yuma," Ryouga began, gritting his teeth, "Can we just get this damn party started? I'm starving and, quite frankly, I don't give a damn if she gets here late!"

The younger boy complained, "But, Shark!" he yelled. "She's important to our group, too, y'know!"

I sighed, leaning my elbows on the picnic table I sat at with Haruto. Yuma was insistent on these things. "I'm sure she's fine, Yuma," I spoke. This caught his attention, and, with some difficulty, he dropped the subject. Shaking my head, I pulled at the collar of my dark blue t-shirt; I was pretty warm in the clothing Haruto had forced me into (as did my father—he said that I needed to start acting like a normal adult now). My little brother was kicking his feet back and forth, waiting for food and smiling.

"Nii-san, you like Droite, don't you?" the little boy suddenly asked me. I turned to him with a solemn expression, even if I was surprised by the question.

"Only as a friend, Haruto," I replied. Still, he didn't seem to believe me and continued humming to himself, a love song he had heard on the radio recently. Rolling my eyes, I resumed watching the rest of the group: Rio and Kotori were busy chatting happily with each other (typical girl behavior), the band of idiots (Ryouga, Gauche, and Yuma) were running around playing Frisbee, while anyone else (such as the former Barian Lords—they stayed around each other most of the time) lingered around, observing the other groups do their thing. It wasn't very fun… yet, but I was beginning to doubt why I was here in the first place.

"K-Kaito-sama," Orbital piped up from underneath the table. He sounded odd, but then again, he was a robot, so…

"Orbital, I told you that I don't want you interrupting this," I grumbled at him, not caring to gaze down at him. Haruto was looking at the robot in curiosity.

"B-But Kaito-sama," Orbital went on, despite my previous statement, "I've been m-monitoring the news channels, a-and it sounds like there's been a crash nearby."

"And why should I care?" I questioned rather harshly. Orbital extended his neck from underneath to table to look at me.

"J-Just look, Kaito-sama." A screen popped up in front of us, showing a rather gruesome car accident. A blue car had been t-boned by a rather large pickup truck, the driver's side completely torn off. I recognized that blue car; I think that might be Droite's vehicle. It was a helicopter view, so any of the bodies that had been thrown out of the vehicles couldn't be shown, but there was one clearly that had been ejected.

Shit, this is bad. If that really was Droite's car, then—well, I didn't want to think about that right now. "Guys," I called out to the groups floundering around. "Look at this news report."

Everyone came to reside around the table. Yuma was horrified, almost as much as Gauche was—which gave me my answer; that car was indeed Droite's, and by the looks of it, she had been ejected from the vehicle during the collision.

"Does it say where the victims are being taken?" Gauche asked, his voice laced with worry. I looked back at him over my shoulder.

Eh, a few illegal acts in the name of a good friend wouldn't be a problem. "Orbital, try and locate where the victims of the crash are being taken," I ordered the robot, standing and getting away from the table and the group of people that had been around me.

"But, Kaito-sama—"

"I know the risks, but do it anyway." Helping Haruto off the bench, I started for my own car. "We'll meet her there."

…

…

_Droite_

The light was blinding as I opened my eyes. At first, I thought I was in a dream; the sun rained down rays of warmth, filling my body with a sense of content. Then it became apparent that I was no longer in my car, and that I was laying on the burning black surface of the road. My skin was on fire, feeling like it was melting into the tar. Unable to move, I stared blankly sideways, the side of my face scraped from the ground. I couldn't even blink, I was in so much pain.

My heart was sluggish; I could feel it trying to cling on to each electrical pulse. It was getting weaker, however, and my lungs were failing to comply with the pump. Air filled my body only twice before I couldn't expend anymore energy to do so. Blood dripped out the corner of my mouth and onto the pavement, where a growing puddle of my own life force was taking shape.

People were running around, but their blurred forms and garbled language made no sense to my dying brain. I could feel myself on the edge, almost there, but almost not. My heart grew weaker, and soon, only the top of it could manage to pump blood.

_No! I don't want to die! I don't want to…_

My pleas went unheard. A bright light was shone in my eyes, but I made no move to respond. Whoever did the action straightened out my body and lifted me onto something, but I was no longer even relatively coherent, so I just went along with whatever was happening.

Even though my eyes were open, I began to see darkness. It filled every corner of my vision, engulfing my mind even as my heart stopped and a shrill noise went off in the background.

_NO! Please…_

But it was too late.

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**_A/N: Depressing first chapter! Anyway, smack that review button with your face! :D_**


	2. Revival

_Droite_

I was beginning to assume that I did indeed die. Standing in a darkness that spread on for eternity in either direction, I kept on walking, hoping to actually get somewhere. Even though I did not have any shoes on (the only thing I did have on, in fact, was a wispy white dress), I couldn't feel the floor beneath my feet. It was an odd feeling, but I knew I was moving forward. There was nothing for me to do than keep going. Raising my hand to my chest, I pressed my palm to my sternum; my heart lay still beneath the skin and bone. Air no longer filled my lungs.

It was strange. I had experienced losing my memories and soul, along with being sent to Barian World. But those two times I had been either given my soul back or brought back to Earth by the defeat of Don Thousand. And I certainly had never been in a place like this, either; while soulless, I was fully conscious, but unable to move my body, and while in Barian World, I had wandered around a field of crystals colored crimson with a little girl named Iris by my side. But this… this was all darkness.

The air was cold, and I shivered, looking around. Maybe calling out would do me some good. Raising my hands to my mouth, I forced my lungs to drag in air before yelling, "Hello? Anybody there?"

My cry went unanswered. Sighing out the rest of the air, I decided to sit down before I got even more lost in this place of infinite blackness. In the silence, it was odd not hearing the beat of my heart, or the quiet hiss of air being drawn between my lips. Come to think of it, my body's functions seem to have ceased; the only parts that did want to work was my brain, and even then, it was sluggish, only able to keep my body moving.

I laid back, the white dress spilling out around me, and stared upwards. There was even darkness up there; no light, nothing. Frowning, I relaxed, and closed my eyes for a moment, listening for anything, _anything at all._

"I never expected a female to come across this way."

The voice caught my attention and I immediately opened my eyes. Sitting up, I looked in all directions, but I still couldn't make out who had said it. It was male in tone, so I knew it must have been a guy who said it, but where was he at—

"Over here, girlie," he spoke again, and I turned my head to the right to see a young man slowly emerging from the darkness. I stood up and narrowed my eyes on him, throwing my guard up if he decided to pull anything funny. His hair was slightly shaggy, curling upwards at the ends, and a light blue. His right eye was covered by a black eye patch with a golden cross on it, but his left eye showed the color of his irises: dark green. He wore a grey trench coat that darkened to black towards the ends, along with an extremely dark blue cassock that was cut off at the knees and slashed up the sides, white gloves, and black jeans with black boots. If I didn't know any better, I'd consider him quite handsome.

"Who are you?" I questioned harshly. He smirked smugly, his green eye showing amusement.

"Feisty now, aren't we?" He laughed, a deep, throaty sound. His confidence edged on arrogance. "My name is Raphael, but call me Raph for all intents and purposes."

Confused, I kept a solid gaze on him. "Where am I?" I asked again; might as well get all the required questions out of the way before I let him quiz me.

Raph dropped his smirk. "You're in, what we call, the In-Between. A place after death that some people end up in if their will to live is so strong that it overpowers even the spiritual powers of the Creator." Crossing his arms, he met my gaze solemnly. "Your name is Droite, yes?"

"Yes," I confirmed with a nod, relaxing just a bit. "So it's true: I really did die?"

"Unfortunately," he stated. Flicking at a blue lock of hair that fell in front of his left eye, he explained further, "It was your time to go, but you're still putting up one hell of a fight. I've never seen anyone, especially a female, put up such an effort to live."

I was confused even more. "I know that I really didn't want to die, but… what do you mean?"

"You've been walking aimlessly through the In-Between for a long time, Droite." Coming forward, Raph set his hands on my shoulders; damn, he was really tall. "Most people will just sit and stay where they are until either their resolve dissolves or someone like me comes and retrieves them. You just keep on looking around for a way out. And that's exciting for me."

I gave him a glare that told him to be cautious using phrases like that around me. He smirked again. "Raph," I grumbled, "Just what the hell do you mean by that?"

He laughed again, patting my shoulders. "Come," he gestured, taking one of my hands and yanking me forward. I ended up in his grasp, my face pressed to his chest, my free hand on his shoulder to steady myself. I frowned at him, wondering if this was his way of making a move on me, but he simply wrapped his arms around my waist in a secure grip before a pair of large, glowing wings curled around us.

When the wings had separated and Raph released me from his arms, I looked around to see that we had been transported to some place with a golden sky and flowing green grass. The grass tickled my feet as I walked, making me shiver. Sensing Raph's eyes on me, I turned to look at him.

"This place is very beautiful," I stated when he said nothing. Figuring that now was not the time for stuff like that, I became serious as well. "Raph, tell me what you want to tell me. Get it off your chest before I smack it out of you."

His smirk returned. "I'm beginning to like you," he replied. "But enough of that; it's time to tell you why I brought you to this plane."

I kept my eyes on him, letting the breeze pick the skirt of the dress up a little as he spoke. "I brought you here for a reason, Droite," he began, "And that's to see if you want to make a deal with me and my six subordinates."

"What deal?" I inquired.

"If you're willing to become a soldier of the Creator," a woman's voice interrupted. Turning around, I saw a girl about my age walking forward through the grass. She wore some of her blonde hair in pigtails, while the rest trailed behind her. Teal eyes stared out from her extremely pale face. Her clothing consisted of a pale yellow corset top that barely concealed her breasts and a long, flowing peach skirt. Like me, she was barefoot, and apparently that didn't seem to bother her. She stopped beside me, glancing at Raph in disapproval. "Really, Raphael, you had to bring her to the plane that I live in?"

"You're one of the most powerful beings around here, Gabby," he replied, with a shrug and a smug smile. The woman groaned, rolling her eyes and turning to look at me.

"I'm Gabriel, but call me Gabby," she said, extending her hand. "Excuse me for this gesture, but I ain't Japanese, and I'm not about to take on a tradition that exists only for humans."

Raising an eyebrow at her, I shook her hand (I wasn't natural born Japanese, but…). Gabby let go of my hand after a couple of seconds, then went over to Raph and gazed at me solemnly. Raph sighed in defeat and let the girl speak.

"Droite," she said sternly, "Let us cut you a deal. Since our partners aren't here right now, I'll speak on behalf of our leader. Do you want to live again, amongst your friends and loved ones?"

There was no doubt in my mind about it. "Of course I do," I replied.

Gabby put a hand on her hip. "Then are you willing to become one of us, an archangel?"

I blinked. "An… archangel?"

Raph rolled his eyes. "I don't even think she knows what that is, idiot," he retorted, poking Gabby in the side. She reached up and smacked the back of his head.

"There's us, the Legendary Seven, and then our army made of the few angels strong enough to become archangels, or people like you, who have the will to live for eternity and fight for the light." Gabby frowned. "You'll be under intense stress during the time you transfer over, Droite, so I'm only telling you this because I have a feeling that you'll be able to do it."

I was still in shock. Sure, I'd heard of angels, demons, and God, but I've never really took an interest in it. But seeing these two, here and now, and knowing that I was dead, it was… surreal. I stepped back, blinking. Did I really want to sacrifice having an actual life to fight for these people? Because I assumed they meant that I would never age or die from natural human causes, my mind was screaming for me not to accept. That meant that I would never be able to live with Kaito, or anyone, for that matter…

"What say you, girlie?" Raph, who I just realized had come over to me and was leaning down to my height, spoke quietly. His gloved fingers lifted my chin up so I could meet his gaze.

"I…" At a loss for words, I spoke the only thing that I could get out of my mouth. "I'll do it."

Raph smiled, letting my chin go and stepping back. Gabby yanked him backwards, making him face-plant the ground.

Gabby then turned to me as Raph grumbled and wiped grass from his face. "Then I shall send you back to your body," she stated. "You will wake up in the hospital you were taken to." She held out her hand. "Ready to go back?"

I nodded, swallowing hard and taking her hand. Light surrounded me, and engulfed my vision.

…

…

_Kaito_

I stood beside Gauche, tapping my fingers against the sides of my arms, my arms crossed, and waited for the nurse to tell us the news about our fallen comrade. Of course I was worried: nobody deserves to die in such a horrible and fast way. I had sent Haruto home, and the Barians (excluding Ryouga and Rio) had gone back to the Kamishiros' apartment. The only people that remained were me, Gauche, the former Barian leaders, Yuma, and Kotori. Sighing, I got off the wall and went to the opposite side of the waiting room, sick and tired of listening to Gauche sob his head off.

I already had a feeling that Droite had died. After all, from what I'd heard from snooping around while the doctors were caring for her, it sounded like she was in too horrible a condition to come back from. A pang hit my heart as I realized that this could very well be the last place she ever saw.

I rubbed my temples just as a male doctor came in to the waiting room. The doc's name was displayed on his nametag: Kuran. Gauche stood up and went to stand in front of the doctor, who had no expression on his face.

"Is she alright?" Gauche asked frantically.

Dr. Kuran looked solemnly at the muscular duelist. "I'm sorry to say that she never made it off the table," he stated. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

I had to grip the sleeves of my shirt as Gauche fell to the ground and started crying. Kotori was crying into Yuma's shirt as he held her. Ryouga had his eyes shut and was frowning hard, while Rio appeared to be holding all of her emotions back. Before I got caught up in the wallowing misery, I went over to the doctor.

"Are you going to let us see her?" I inquired; it would be good for Gauche to say his goodbyes to his best friend.

Dr. Kuran sighed. "Yeah, I'll let you guys see her," he replied. "I'll let the nurses know to prepare her body for visitors." He then looked at me. "What's your relation to her? Boyfriend? Husband?"

"N-No," I said. "Just a concerned friend." The doc nodded, then began explaining the circumstances to everyone in the room after I had backed away to grab the fallen duelist's arm. I helped Gauche off the floor, since he was completely broken and not really coherent with what was going on, and into a chair.

Ten minutes later, Kuran held open the door to the waiting room. "I'll let whoever wants to see her come with me," he said; apparently he had messaged the nurses while he had been talking to us. Gauche was shaking his head and muttering that he couldn't see her body; I could clearly see that he was regretting having left without her. Yuma and Kotori said that they didn't want to see her, and the Kamishiro twins shook their heads too.

I sighed. "I'll go."

Everyone looked at me. "Are you sure?" Ryouga asked. "You were close to her, after all."

"Only a bit, nothing too personal." Standing, I left Gauche's side and went with the doctor. We went down several corridors towards the OR; it was through this maze that lay my friend's fate. I wonder how she felt when she had died; after all, I had died too, once, and that was pleasant, but frightening. Before long, we were standing in front of a small OR, so that I could view her body before they took her to the morgue to be stored until the funeral could be arranged.

Dr. Kuran looked at me. "You're sure you want to see her?" he questioned. I rolled my eyes; for hell's sakes, I'm not a child anymore. I've seen more death than anyone ever should.

"Yeah." Pushing the doors open, I went inside. Underneath some lights, her body was laid out, completely naked underneath a thin white sheet. Her black hair was splayed out on the table, her lashes like a raven's wing against her greying skin. She looked… beautiful, despite her death. A dead beauty. How poetic.

I neared the table, gazing down at her still form. It was odd, gazing at somebody that was dead; I thought for a moment that she would open her eyes and sit up. But no, that wouldn't happen. A sigh escaped me, and I placed one of my hands over hers, which were crossed over her chest.

"I'm sorry," I spoke, finding myself unable to find the means to be harsh in this moment. "I'm sorry for being an asshole to you." Squeezing her hands tightly, I felt the stiffness of rigor in her joints; she really was dead. "So, if you're still here, somewhere, can you find it in your heart to forgive me? I don't want the end to be bitter between us; you were a really great friend, and I'll miss you." A soft, sad laugh came from my lips. "What's it going to be like without you nagging me every day? Haruto's going to miss you too…" I sucked in a breath before tears overwhelmed me. "Dammit, Droite, _why did you have to die_?"

That was when I realized that one of her hands moved. At least, I thought it did. But then her chest expanded, and she took in a deep breath. I backed away, too shocked to say anything, as Droite began to breathe once more.

After a few moments, her breathing evened out, and her lips came together, lifting in a smirk. Her eyes snapped open, and she stared up at the ceiling.

_…_

_…_

_Droite_

The lights above me were bright. I blinked, bringing my hands to my face to cover them. My fingers brushed a bandage that was taped across the bridge of my nose and my cheeks. Groaning, I was about to sit up when I realized that I was back in my own body and, therefore, naked. Underneath a rather thin sheet; okay, not what I was expecting.

"Droite?" A weak voice came from the side. I tilted my head to look towards the voice and I saw none other than Tenjou Kaito standing in the corner, staring at me like I was a ghost or something.

From the shadows behind my hands, I glared at him. "Oh, stop looking at me like that," I scolded him, although I didn't know why. "Where am I, anyway?" Sitting up, I held the sheet close to my chest and looked around. Various medical equipment and machines were strewn across the room.

Kaito seemed to recover from the initial shock of me being alive. "The OR," he replied. "They took you here after the accident."

"Yeah, I can see that." Sighing hard, I hugged my arms around myself. "Can you see if the doctors have any leftover clothing? Because I'm feeling overexposed here."

"Y-Yeah." He left the room, and soon after, nurses and doctors began piling around me, checking my vitals and muttering things like _it's a miracle _and _she was supposed to be dead_. I heard Gabby's voice in the back of my head, saying that as soon as I was put into a room, she'd talk to me.

Well, let's hope I can get through these tests without being considered a freaking exotic animal.

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**_A/N: Alright guys. I'm feeling really sick, so I apologize if this chapter kinda had a sucky ending. T_T Review, please! I want at least six reviews total on this story so I can keep on writing this story!_**


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